In his in-depth look at Sarah Palin, New York magazine's Gabriel Sherman explores the controversial argument that the erstwhile Republican VP candidate quit her job as Alaska's governor to parlay her new fame into wealth. Her $7 million deal to write and promote her memoir, Going Rogue, opened the door to a lucrative string of TV and speaking gigs. Is this just another liberal attack on the right's presumptive leader, or is Palin just spouting knee-jerk conservativism for personal gain?

Palin is fully committed...to herself: Palin may run for president, but only if she views it as a necessary step to build her brand, says Joshua Green in The Atlantic.Judging by her "middling" poll numbers and distaste for the drudgery of politics, "Palin's prospects in the Republican Party are a good deal dimmer than her star wattage suggests." If it's a choice between "earning money and running for president, Palin will choose money.""Sarah Palin, Inc."